A 93-year-old war veteran is hoping scuba divers will find his war medals after they fell into the river Thames near Kingston.

Charles Brown, who was at the Dunkirk evacuation, lost the medals on Sunday as he boarded a boat from Kingston to Weybridge.

They fell into a shallow water but a rescue attempt with magnets was unsuccessful.

Divers from Teddington Lifeboat Station will search the riverbed later today.

The medals fell from the breast pocket of Mr Brown’s jacket as he used his walking frame to board the boat near Kingston Bridge.